- Written by Raymond King, District Director of Environmental Health
- Category: Media Releases
Recently, thousands of passengers aboard a pleasure cruise ship were sickened with a stomach virus transmitted through their foods. While not all such outbreaks can be stopped, there is a public health professional dedicated to protecting you and your family from these and many other types of diseases.
As Earth Day approaches on April 22, the North Georgia Health District and health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties celebrate the positive impact environmental health specialists have on our daily lives.
What if no one inspected the restaurants where your family dines? Or, imagine if no one inspected and sampled the pool where your children swim. Where would you go with a complaint about an environmental health or safety hazard? What if your child was found to have elevated levels of lead? Who makes sure your septic system is properly sized and installed? These are only some of the services provided by your local public health environmental specialists. They are part of your county health department but are the unseen professionals making your world a healthier and safer place to live and work. Their primary task is to prevent diseases and conditions that could affect your health and ensure a safe and healthy environment through education, policy development, and regulation.
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- Written by Jennifer King, District Public Inforamtion Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
Dalton, (GA) – National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is April 20 - 27, 2013. The North Georgia Health District (NGHD), part of the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), urges residents in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties to remember their little ones by speaking with a healthcare provider or doctor to make sure their babies are up-to-date on their vaccinations.
“Young children need champions in their lives to keep them protected,” said Marie Smith, district immunization and child health coordinator. “Parents think of car seats, safety locks, baby gates and external ways to keep our babies safe, but forget that one of the best ways to protect our children is to make sure they have all of their vaccinations.”
Originally recognized in 1994, NIIW provides an invaluable opportunity for our community to remind people how important it is for children to be vaccinated. It is a call to action for parents, caregivers and healthcare providers to ensure that infants are fully vaccinated against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
*Two doses given at least four weeks apart are recommended for children aged 6 months through 8 years of age who are getting a flu vaccine for the first time and for some other children in this age group.
§Two doses of HepA vaccine are needed for lasting protection. The first dose of HepA vaccine should be given between 12 months and 23 months of age. The second dose should be given 6 to 18 months later. HepA vaccination may be given to any child 12 months and older to protect against HepA. Children and adolescents, who did not receive the HepA vaccine and are at high risk, should be vaccinated against HepA.
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- Written by Jennifer King, District Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
April is STD Awareness Month, a time to get yourself tested for STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), and it's time for people both young and old to understand the importance of getting tested.
Some of the most common STDs are chlamydia, herpes and gonorrhoea. Around 3 million new cases of chlamydia are reported each year, with adolescent women being the most commonly affected.
But STDs like chlamydia are passed through unprotected sex, and can often be prevented by using condoms.
While chlamydia can be treated with the use of antibiotics, STDs like HIV/AIDS are for life and will require continual treatment.
It is thought 1 in 5 Americans living with HIV don’t know they have it, and that’s why it’s so important to know early HIV symptoms and get tested.
At the STD Awareness Month website there is a whole host of resources to provide clinics with posters and leaflets that will give patients all the information they need, from ongoing HIV research to the benefits of condoms.
And at the It's your sex life website you can find out everything you need to know about STDs, condoms and the dangers of unprotected sex.
Both websites will give you the facts and clear up any questions you might have. But of course, there is no better time to visit your healthcare provider or local health department and get yourself tested, so get checked today. Why not go to the link below and find out by entering your ZIP code where you can access your nearest HIV or STD testing locations? Log on today to http://www.national-awareness-days.com/std-awareness-month.html!
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- Written by Jennifer King, District Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
Dalton (GA) - Breastfeeding Techniques for Professionals and Advocates was presented today by Catherine Watson Genna, BS, IBCLC, as part of the Northwest Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition Annual Conference at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center in Dalton.
Catherine Watson Genna, BS, IBCLC, presented Breastfeeding Techniques for Professionals and Advocates at the Annual Northwest Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition Conference"I’ve found in my 20 years in this field that babies are competent," said Genna. "They’re smart and they know what they’re doing, and if we work with them, breastfeeding is so much less frustrating for everybody."
Genna has been an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in private practice in New York, NY since 1992. She has a special interest in the anatomical, genetic and neurological influences on infant sucking skills, and writes and speaks on these topics. She serves as associate editor of Clinical Lactation, a breastfeeding publication.
Genna has performed research using ultrasound and cervical auscultation (listening with a stethoscope) to study sucking and suck-swallow coordination in infants with ankyloglossia, more commonly known as tongue-tie. Her clinical photographs have been published in both lay and scholarly venues.
She is the author of Supporting Sucking Skills in Breastfeeding Infants (Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2008) and Selecting and Using Breastfeeding Tools (Hale Publishing, 2009).
According to Patty Spanjer, president of the breastfeeding coalition, "When it comes to breastfeeding, one of the most important things you can do is educate the educator."
Over 260 professionals who educate breastfeeding mothers attended the conference, including physicians, nurses, lactation consultants, dietitians, certified nurse midwives, La Leche League Leaders, WIC staff, nutritionists and nurse practitioners.
Carol Hendrix, WIC breastfeeding coordinator for the North Georgia Health District, said, "This conference was an excellent opportunity for lactation professionals in this area to hear about and discuss different aspects of helping mothers overcome barriers and issues that they face when breastfeeding."
To learn more about breastfeeding or about this year’s conference, log onto to the Northwest Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition’s website at www.nwgabfcoalition.com.
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To view more photos of this event, click on https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.487366137984822.1073741828.130708733650566&type=3#!/media/set/?set=a.487366137984822.1073741828.130708733650566&type=1
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